ASEAN Chair 2020 – Responsibility and opportunity for Vietnam

Hanoi (VNA) – The recent establishment of the National ASEAN 2020 Committee is one of
the initial steps that Vietnam has taken for months to prepare for the task of
the ASEAN Chair in 2020, said Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung.

The 29-member
committee is assigned to help the PM direct, supervise, coordinate, and guide
the ministries, offices and localities to work in the fields related to the
preparations for and implementation of the role, Dung, who is also General
Secretary of the committee, said on the sidelines of the committee’s launch
ceremony on December 24 in Hanoi.

It plans to convene
nine periodical meetings between now and the end of December 2020, along with unscheduled
meetings if necessary.

Commenting on the
responsibilities and opportunities that Vietnam will see when taking the ASEAN
Chair task in 2020, the official said that Vietnam must work to maintain the
ASEAN growth and promote the building of a stronger ASEAN Community.

At the same time,
Vietnam should take the guiding role to build an ASEAN with strong intra-bloc
solidarity and enhanced position and prestige in the region with contributions
to global processes, he said.

Deputy FM Dung also
highlighted that the ASEAN Chair position in 2020 is also a chance for Vietnam
to show its capacity as the host of the year, while introducing the nation to
regional and international friends.-VNA